Career & Life Coach. I help people navigate their careers to reach higher levels of success. Helping people become #comfortable #competent and #confident

Feb 22, 2016

How To Be Well-Liked In The Workplace

These days there are really two events taking place at work — the work that everyone is assigned to do, and the office politics. People typically know how to do their job, but office politics has left many people baffled. How do I become more well-liked at work? Below I break down the steps required to become popular and well-liked in your place of employment.

Be everyone’s best friend. This step can be quite tough, but it can be done. All of your colleagues will want to vent about their problems at some point, so by making yourself available for them, being empathetic to their problems, yet also staying optimistic, it will allow you and your coworker to bond. Do this for as many colleagues as possible, and before you know it, you’re everyone’s best friend.

Feed them. So you’re not a gourmet chef? No problem. On Friday bring in donut holes for the whole team, or on Mondays bring in bear claws. All that really matters is that you bring food for everyone. Humans are psychologically wired not to “bite the hand that feeds us,” so by providing food for colleagues you are nurturing them, and improving their opinion of you.

Be open to attending events outside of work. It used to be that people kept their work life and social life separate, but now that is a thing of the past. Companies now use events like work happy hours or ski trips for their employees to bond. Be open to these events, and be sure to attend them. The turnout is quite good for these types of things, so if you don’t go, you’ll end up being left behind. That will not help your cause of becoming more popular at work.

Work your butt off. Everyone appreciates a hard worker. Make sure you work your butt off. If you are given projects that require late nights or weekends, take them. However, do not complain or gloat about your extra work load. People admire and respect people who work hard, but take it in stride. By taking it in stride, you gain people’s respect, and they may also be more willing to help you.

Dress nice. There’s an old saying, “The clothes make the man.” As shallow as it may seem, studies show that people prefer attractive people. Attractive people are more well-liked and have more friends. Therefore, to increase your chances of being well-liked at work, make sure you have the right wardrobe.

Be easygoing and approachable. You want your coworkers to come to you, so that you remain in the loop. People tend to like people who are relaxed and approachable. Therefore, if you can find a way to remain relaxed at work, you’ll be one step closer to being the most popular person in the office.

Keep your humor appropriate. Happy hours and similar work events are all about having fun and letting loose. However, do not let loose too much. Be sure to keep your humor appropriate. Jokes that are racist, sexist, or racy in any other way will only make you less popular. Make sure not to drink too much at these events, and that will help you keep your filter on.

Be non-judgemental and trustworthy. The more popular you become, the more scandalous information people tell you. Be sure that you keep an open mind and realize that it’s not your place to judge someone. By maintaining this mentality, you really will seal the deal as most popular person in the office.

As you can see, some of these steps are harder than others. However, if you follow all of these steps, you will be more well-liked at work. If you have any additional ideas of how to become more popular at work, I’d love to see your comments below.